Modern Sociological Theory
Major Contemporary Lenses
Functionalism
Functionalism views society as a system of interdependent parts. It highlights social functions, stability, and unintended consequences, but can understate conflict and inequality.
Conflict theory
Conflict theory emphasizes domination, inequality, and competition over scarce resources. It is especially useful for studying class, race, gender, and institutional power.
Symbolic interactionism
Symbolic interactionism focuses on everyday meaning-making. It studies identity, face-to-face interaction, and how definitions of situations shape behavior.
Comparing paradigms
Functionalism
- What social needs does an institution meet?
- How does it maintain stability?
Conflict theory
- Who benefits?
- Who is excluded or controlled?
Which theory is most interested in face-to-face identity performance?
Interactionism studies meanings created in social interaction.
Correct answer: Symbolic interactionism
Which question fits conflict theory best?
Conflict theory asks who gains and who loses from social arrangements.
Correct answer: How does the school sort students by advantage?
Give one institutional example where functionalism and conflict theory would produce different interpretations.
Schools are often explained as socializing institutions or as sorting mechanisms for inequality.
Correct answer: school
Theory choice matters
Different theories do not just add different facts; they change the questions you ask and the evidence you notice.
What is one limitation of functionalism?
Other valid answers include treating institutions as more harmonious than they are.
Correct answer: it can understate conflict